“I want you out of here. I want you out of here now. Is that plain enough?”
Why it's great
The sentence repeats and hardens, so politeness ends without a single slur.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I want you out of here before the police arrive.
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Jerry Throws Rupert Out, Explained
The King of Comedy · 1982
Chapter 12 of 21 · 5'01"
Rupert has moved into Jerry Langford's house, pitching his comedy act as if Jerry owed him an audience. Jerry's polite hints fail, so he stops hinting: "I want you out of here. I want you out of here now." Underneath, it's a fan refusing to accept that the man he idolizes is a stranger who just wants his home back.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 3:54–4:18
Rupert Won't Take the Hint
24s - 4:36–4:59
❝ Monologue · 6 lines A parting vow of revenge
Even thrown out, he insists on the last word and turns humiliation into a threat.
24s
Jerry Throws Rupert Out, explained
What happens
Jerry Langford comes home to find Rupert Pupkin and Rita already inside his house. Rupert, thrilled rather than embarrassed, introduces Rita to Jerry and pitches his comedy material, insisting it will only take half an hour. Jerry asks how they got in, tells them a cab is waiting, and finally orders them out. Rita realizes they should leave; Rupert keeps negotiating.
What's really going on
The scene is a collision of two completely different readings of the same conversation. Jerry speaks in the plainest terms he can — "I want you out of here. I want you out of here now. Is that plain enough?" — and Rupert hears an invitation to keep going, answering with material, compliments, and jokes about arresting his own guests. Every polite exit Jerry offers, a cab at the gate, a promise to talk later, becomes another thing for Rupert to argue with. Rita is the only one who reads the room, telling him the man is telling them to go, and Rupert accuses her of spoiling everything. What makes it painful and funny is that Jerry's status is the whole reason they came, and it's also the wall they can't get through.
Key lines & what they mean
- “I want you out of here. I want you out of here now. Is that plain enough?”
- Jerry drops every hint and gives a direct order: leave now. Repeating it and asking if it's plain shows he's done being polite.
- “Yes, it is. I have a life, okay?”
- Jerry answers Rupert's plea with a flat yes: asking him to listen for fifteen minutes is too much, because Jerry has his own life to live.
- “I'm glad what you did to me today. Because now I know I can't rely on anybody.”
- Rupert turns the humiliation into a lesson: nobody can be trusted, so he'll rely only on himself. It's both a wound and a vow.
- “I just want you to listen to my stuff for 15 minutes. Is that asking too much?”
- Rupert frames his demand as a tiny favor and dares Jerry to call it unreasonable, still unable to hear the no underneath.
Theme
- Dark humor — Rupert treats being thrown out as material for a bit, joking about arresting guests while Jerry orders him to leave.
- Identity — Rupert can't separate the TV host he worships from the ordinary man who just wants his house back.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level5/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“Yes, it is. I have a life, okay?”
Why it's great
He concedes the accusation flatly, then claims his own life as the reason.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I have a life, okay? I'm not staying late again.
“I'm glad what you did to me today. Because now I know I can't rely on anybody.”
Why it's great
He turns a humiliation into a lesson, which is both defiant and painfully self-deluding.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I'm glad you cancelled. Now I know I can't count on you.
“I just want you to listen to my stuff for 15 minutes. Is that asking too much?”
Why it's great
He shrinks the demand to fifteen minutes and then dares him: is that asking too much? Small numbers, big need.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Just give me ten minutes. Is that asking too much?
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ A parting vow of revenge
And, Jerry. Jerry, I just wanna say one more thing, Jerry. I'm glad what you did to me today. Because now I know I can't rely on anybody. Not you, not anybody. And I shouldn't rely on anybody. And you wanna know something else? I'm gonna work 50 times harder... ...and I'm gonna be 50 times more famous than you. Then you're gonna have idiots like you plaguing your life!
Even thrown out, he insists on the last word and turns humiliation into a threat.
Up next · 13false moveThe scene: Rupert and Masha Kidnap JerryTakeaways
What you walk away with- Jerry's politeness runs out line by line.
- Rupert hears every insult as encouragement.
- A fight sounds different once the hint fails.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy does Jerry tell Rupert a cab is waiting instead of just throwing him out?
He's trying to end it without a fight. Offering a cab and a promise to talk later is his way of getting Rupert to leave quietly, but Rupert treats the offer as a delay to argue with.
Does Rupert really believe he and Jerry are friends?
He acts like it, but the details say otherwise: Rita says she barely knows him, and Jerry admits he only told Rupert to call to get rid of him. Rupert hears what he wants to hear.
Who is right in this argument, Jerry or Rupert?
Jerry is on solid ground: it's his house, they entered uninvited, and he never invited Rupert to perform. Rupert's hurt is real, but he turned a brush-off into a visit and won't take the hint.
What does Rupert mean by saying he'll be "50 times more famous" than Jerry?
It's his exit speech: instead of accepting the rejection, he promises to outdo Jerry, then says Jerry will end up with fans as annoying as himself. It's a threat and a fantasy at once.